What does Google say about SEO? /
Artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping search engine optimization and Google's algorithms. This category compiles Google's official statements regarding AI usage in search, including machine learning technologies, large language models (LLMs), and new generative search experiences like SGE and AI Overview. SEO practitioners will find Google's positions on how AI-generated content (ChatGPT, Gemini, Bard) impacts website rankings and organic visibility. Google has clarified its guidelines concerning artificial intelligence for content creation, distinguishing acceptable practices from manipulative techniques that violate search quality standards. Understanding these official declarations is crucial for adapting SEO strategies to algorithmic evolutions, particularly with the increasing integration of machine learning into ranking systems. This category also covers the impact of AI-generated answers in SERPs, E-E-A-T quality criteria applied to AI-assisted content, and recommendations for maintaining organic search presence in the era of generative search. Essential insights include how Google evaluates content quality regardless of production method, focusing on helpfulness and user value rather than creation process. A must-follow resource for staying ahead in modern search engine optimization.
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★★★ Does Googlebot really find your site through links or manual submission?
Googlebot continuously crawls the web by following links. To make your site known, you can either establish inbound links or submit your site through Search Console....
Martin Splitt May 09, 2019
★★★ How can you leverage the Index Coverage Report to fix your indexing errors?
The Index Coverage Report from Search Console helps identify indexed pages and potential issues, facilitating the rapid resolution of errors....
Martin Splitt May 09, 2019
★★★ Does Googlebot really use a modern version of Chrome to crawl your site?
Googlebot now uses a modern version of Chrome and will continue to be updated to stay current....
Martin Splitt May 09, 2019
★★★ Can content plagiarism really harm the SEO of your original site?
The fact that another site copies your content should not negatively affect your site. Focus on legal measures and the quality of your content....
John Mueller May 03, 2019
★★ Why does Google sometimes show one page and other times another from your site in the SERPs?
If pages from a site are close in ranking, Google might show one more than the other because it is not yet solidly established. It is advisable to continue working on ranking....
John Mueller May 03, 2019
★★ Subdomain or main domain: Where should you host your content to maximize your SEO traffic?
When moving content from a subdomain to the main domain, there may be an increase in traffic. However, this depends on how Google perceives the link between the content of the subdomain and the main d...
John Mueller May 03, 2019
★★★ Should you still fill in the priority and frequency in your XML sitemaps?
Google does not consider priorities or refresh frequencies in sitemaps. The last modified date is crucial....
John Mueller May 03, 2019
★★ What should you know about recovering your rankings after a domain change?
A site move requiring a domain change involves 301 redirects and a notification to Google. If rankings do not recover, there may be technical questions or a domain history to consider....
John Mueller May 03, 2019
★★ Should you really prioritize URL parameters to manage internal searches?
Google recommends using URL parameters (for example, ?q=term) instead of paths to indicate searches in URLs. This helps Google better recognize and optimize the crawl....
John Mueller May 03, 2019
★★★ Why Won't Optimizing Just One SEO Factor Improve Your Google Rankings Anymore?
John Mueller indicated, also on Twitter, that it is now impossible to isolate a single relevance criterion of the search engine's algorithm and manipulate it to increase a page's visibility. Everythin...
John Mueller May 02, 2019
★★ Do you really need a specific robots.txt to appear in Google Discover?
No specific directive like a robots.txt is needed for Google Discover. The pages visible in Discover are simply normal pages indexed by Google....
John Mueller May 02, 2019
★★★ Does Google really follow links on your noindex pages?
Google does not guarantee that links on noindex pages will never be followed. It is possible that Google may temporarily crawl links even if the page is noindexed, especially if the links have a high ...
John Mueller May 02, 2019
★★★ Which Dates Does Google Actually Use to Rank Your Pages?
John Mueller explained on Twitter that Google can take into account two types of dates: the one indicated in the XML Sitemap ("lastmod" field or last modified date) which corresponds to the last modif...
John Mueller May 02, 2019
★★★ Why does Google show backlinks you've disavowed in Search Console?
Even when external links are blocked via the disavow file or robots.txt, they will still appear in Search Console, as they remain identified by Google even if they do not transmit any SEO signals....
John Mueller May 02, 2019
★★ Could links between the language versions of a site harm regional targeting?
Using links between different language versions of sites is not problematic, but excessive optimization with targeted anchors should be avoided to prevent confusion in Google's regional targeting....
John Mueller May 02, 2019
★★★ Should you really leave pagination indexed on large websites?
For sites with numerous articles, it is advised to use a strong internal linking structure or to leave pagination indexed if the articles are not linked elsewhere. This ensures that Google can crawl a...
John Mueller May 02, 2019
★★ Do comments on a page really influence Google rankings?
Comments on a page are considered content that can contribute to rankings in Google. They enrich the content of the page if they are relevant....
John Mueller May 01, 2019
★★★ Should You Still Create Video Sitemaps to Index Your Multimedia Content?
Video sitemaps are still recommended to help Google properly recognize and index videos associated with pages....
John Mueller May 01, 2019
★★★ Is your mobile content truly complete, or are you unknowingly sabotaging your desktop rankings?
With the shift to mobile-first indexing, it is crucial that mobile content is complete to avoid negatively impacting the overall ranking, including for desktop searches....
John Mueller May 01, 2019
★★ Does HTTPS really slow down Googlebot's crawling on your site?
Switching to HTTPS and HTTP/2 is generally seamless for Google’s crawling. However, if an increase in download time is observed, it may indicate an unoptimized server configuration following a server ...
John Mueller May 01, 2019
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